Grain-meter



(No Model.)

V; WEBER& J. R. HARRISON. GRAIN METER.

No. 400,615. Patented Apr. 2, 1889.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

A TTOH/VEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VALENTIN \VEBER AND JAMES R. HARRISON, OF PRINCEYILLE, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN- METER.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,615, dated April'2, 1889. Application filed September 19, 1888. Serial No. 285,783- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VALENTIN XVEBER and JAMES R. HARRISON, both of Princeville, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Tripping Device for Automatic Grain-lVeighing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to improvements in automatic grain-weighing machin essuch as shown and described in our patent, No. 369,486, granted September 6, 1887.

The invention consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the improvement as applied. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of part of the tripping device.

The elevator A, of any approved construction, is connected with the grain-spout of the thrashing-machine, so that the grain is carried upward and is discharged into the downwardly-extending hopper B, provided on each side with a bracket, 0, having a knife-edge on which is fulcrumed the weighing-beam D, supporting 011 knife-edges at each side the grain-box E, held below the spout B. The other end of the beam D is provided with the usual poise, D, and the downward motion of the beam is limited by the stop D secured to the elevator A.

The grain-box E is kept in a vertical position by the links E, pivotally connected with the elevator A and the grain-box E. Said box is open at the top and bottom; but the latter is adapted to be closed bya sliding bottom, F, held in suitable bearings on the grainbox E and connected by links G with the arms H and H, secured 011 the ends of a shaft, H mounted to turn in suitable bearings in the sides of the elevator A. The arm II has an upwardly-projecting slotted extension, H in the slot of which fits the pin I of a crankarm, I, turning loosely on a stud, J, held in one side of the grain-elevator A. On the said stud J is held to turn loosely a gear-wheel, K, into which meshes a pinion, K, secured on one outer end of the elevator-shaft A, which receives its rotary motion in the usual manner. On the face of the gear-wheel K is secured a toothed wheel, L, adapted to be engaged by a tripping-pawl, N, fulcrumed 011 the crank-arm I and provided with a downward extension, N, adapted to be engaged by a lug, O, on the arm 0, secured to the grainbox E. I A spring, N presses against the tripping-pawl N, so as to press the latter into contact with the toothed wheel L whenever the lug O is disengaged from the arm N of the said tripping-pawl N.

An arm,P, provided with a slot,P, fits onto the pin I of the crank-arm I, said arm being pivotally connected at its upper end with a lever, Q, fulcrumed on the side of the elevator A and carrying at its outer end a gate, R, adapted to close the mouth of the hopper B. A spring, S, acts on the said lever Q, so as to close the gate R over the mouth of the hopper B whenever the arm P is moved in aproper position by the crank-arm I.

The operation is as follows: In the position shown in the drawings the grain-box E is closed at its lower end by the sliding bottom F, the mouth of the hopper B is opened as the gate R is held in the outermost position by the lever Q, and the tripping-pawl N is out of contact with the toothed wheel L, butis in contact with the lug O of the arm 0, secured to the grain-box E. hen the elevator is set in motion in the usual manner, it discharges the grain into the hopper B, which delivers the same into the grain-box E, which thus begins to fill. At the same time the pinion K is rotated by the elevator-shaft A and imparts a similar motion to the gear-wheel K, rotating loosely on the stud J. As soon as the grain in the box E over-balances the weight to which the scale-beam D is set by its poise D, then the grain-box E moves downward,so that the fixed arm 0 swings downward and disengages by its lug O the lower end, N, of the tripping-pawl N. The latter is forced by its spring N into contact with the toothed wheel L, so that the pawl and the crank-arm I, on which it is f ulcrumed, are carried around with the said toothed wheel L, fastened on the gearwheel K. The motion of the crank-arm I in the direction of the arrow a causes during the first half-revolution a releasing of the arm P, so that the spring S acts on the lever Q and the gate R closes the mouth of the hopper B. At the same time the crank-arm I acts on the slotted extension H of the arm H, so that the latter and the arm H cause the bottom F to slide inward, thereby opening the grain-box E, which now discharges its contents. As soon as the grain is discharged from the box E, the weighing-beam D causes the box to rise into its former position until the beam D rests on its stop D The lug O of the arm 0 again engages the end N of the pawl N when the latter has sufficiently completed its revolution, whereby the pawl N is thrown out of contact with the toothed wheel L and the latter keeps on rotating with its gear-wheel K. At the last half-revolution of the crank-arm I the arm P acts on the lever Q and causes the gate R to open, and at the same time the bottom F is closed by the action of the arms H and H, operated 011 by the crank-arm I.

It will be seen that the grain-box E is automatically dumped whenever a certain weight (indicated by the beam D) is obtained. The tripping device acts automatically and receives its motion from the continuous motion of the elevator-shaft.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the dischargespout provided with a gate, the grain-box under the spout and having a gate at its lower end, and the scale-beam supporting the box, of the toothed wheel, a crank-arm mounted on the axle of said wheel, a pawl pivoted to said arm, a spring pressing the pawl into engagement with said toothed wheel, an arm projecting from the grain-box and having a lug to engage the outer end of the pawl, an

arm pivoted between its ends and operated by said crank-arm, and connections between the pivoted arm at opposite sides of its pivot and said gates, substantially as set forth.

2. In a tripping device for grain-weighing machines, the combination, with the gate for the discharge-spout, the gate for the grainbox, and a toothed wheel having a rotary motion, of a tripping-pawl adapted to engage the said toothed wheel, an arm secured to the grain-box and having a lug adapted to engage the said tripping-pawl, a crank-arm fulcrumed on the axle of the said toothed wheel and carrying the said tripping-pawl, and slotted arms connected with the said crank-arm and operating, respectively, the gate for the grain-box and the gate for the discharge-spout of the elevator, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a tripping device for grain-weighing machines, the combination, with the gate for the discharge-spout, the gate .for the grainbox, and a toothed wheel having a rotary motion, of a tripping-pawl adapted to engage the said toothed wheel, an arm secured to the grain-box and having a lug adapted to engage the said tripping-pawl, a crank-arm fulcrum ed on the axle of the said toothed wheel and carryin g the said tripping-pawl, a spring held on the said crank-arm and pressing against the said tripping-pawl to throw the latter in contact with the toothed wheel when the said lug disengages the said tripping-pawl, and slotted arms connected with the said crank-arm and operating, respectively, the gate for the grainbox and the gate for the discharge-spout of the elevator, substantially as shown and described.

VALENTIN \VEBER. JAMES R. HARRISON. \Vitnesses:

M. HAMMER, J. W. LITTLE, A. B. SLoNE, J. D. BUSH. 

